


The White Sheep

by Sassyberry



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Hogwarts House Sorting, Hogwarts House Sorting Ceremony, One Shot, Slytherin Pride, The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-05
Updated: 2019-06-05
Packaged: 2020-04-08 06:48:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19101880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sassyberry/pseuds/Sassyberry
Summary: A oneshot of Andromeda as she watches her cousin Sirius Black's sorting and reflects on her family and future. Not every family is as perfect as it wants to be, not even the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black.





	The White Sheep

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic, but I have always been fascinated by Andromeda and how she become the pure blood women who married a muggle born, choosing love over family. This story is just a glimpse at her life.
> 
> I might do another longer fic dedicated to her and Ted Tonk's love story, but we'll see!
> 
> Characters are not my own.
> 
> Thanks for reading!

'Will they hurry up?' Narcissa moaned as she drummed her expertly manicured nails against the surface of the table. As she did, she caught Andromeda’s eye and quickly clasped her hands together in her lap, schooling her face into a blank canvas.

_Ladies do not fidget, and ladies do not whine._

Andromeda could almost hear the phrase turn in her sister’s head. It was a favourite mantra of their mother’s when it came to Narcissa, who was often prone to impatience and boredom as a youth. But Narcissa was a lady now, having debuted last summer, and she was trying her best to behave as one. She had even had the house elf braid her blonde hair into the fashionable style their mother and aunt sported in an effort to look her best for the first day of term. Her sister’s dedication to their mother’s teachings quietly infuriated Andromeda, who allowed herself a small sigh of frustration as Narcissa squared her shoulders and looked out over the student body with cool indifference.

_Black ladies stand tall and proud, worthy of their ancient house and pure blood._

Around the two Black sisters the Great Hall was abuzz with start of term gossip, this would be Andromeda's last sorting at Hogwarts before she graduated and stepped out into wizarding world on her own. A thought she held onto like the light at the end of her dark tunnel. Until then, she would smile and nod like the perfect puppet that everyone expected her to be; a witch proud of her pure blood heritage, ready to be married off to someone of commendable blood status and wealth. At any moment, her cousin Sirius Black would walk through those doors and be sorted into Slytherin, like herself and her sisters, the only house worthy of true Blacks. He would proudly write to his parents to announce the predicted news and continue his life at Hogwarts. Oblivious to the world obscured from their eyes, hidden behind their family's vanity and pride.

'Any moment now,' she muttered to her impatient sister.

Andromeda was proud though, despite her disdain for her mother’s preaching. She was a proud Slytherin, highly ambitious, determined to carve her own path and put her name in the history books. She was proud of her work, her focus, and her intellect as no one in her year rivaled her marks. She was a proud head girl, her badge shining brightly on her robes, an indicator of all she had already accomplished. She was smart, smart enough to look deeper, read more, and listen closer to the hate being spewed all around her. And she saw nothing but charlatans and hypocrites as the blind led the blind. There was no room for blood superiority in her world, and it had taken a great deal for her to overcome a lifetime of conditioning to reach that conclusion.

Across the room she caught the eye of her boyfriend, who winked at her before turning back to his friends. His golden hair stood out in the crowd, complimenting his tan complexion and yellow and black tie. Andromeda smiled to herself, knowing he couldn’t see her but unable to quell the flutters in her stomach. Ted Tonks, her muggle born boyfriend and ticket away from her family. The two of them had been secretly putting money away in the hopes of being able to buy a small flat in London to move into after graduation. No one knew about their relationship, and she wasn't planning on letting the cat out of the bag until she was safely out from under the Black's roof and on her way to freedom.

'Who are you smiling at?' Narcissa asked curiously, trying to discretely follow Andromeda’s gaze.

'No one, just remembering something,' Andromeda said hastily. Suddenly feeling guilty as she looked down at her sister, knowing that after this year her sister would probably never deign to speak to her again. As much as she could not stand to follow the life her parents had planned for her, Andromeda's heart broke a little as she thought about leaving Cissy behind. Andromeda went to reach for her hand but Narcissa had already turned away and was smiling lovingly up at her boyfriend, Lucius Malfoy.

Andromeda watched her younger sister bask in the envious gazes of her fellow Slytherins as Malfoy put his arm around her. The Malfoys were, in her mother's opinion, a fine pureblood family and a worthy match for any of her daughters. She knew that one day her sister and Lucius would make a respectable marriage, a match her parents would be proud of. Her older sister, Bellatrix, had already graduated and married Rodolphus Lestrange. The Black matriarch had made such a fuss when Bella had first caught the eye of youngest Lestrange brother that she'd bought her eldest daughter a full new wardrobe and held a feast in his family’s honour. Andromeda could only imagine the horror on her mother's face if she ever invited Ted for dinner.

The familiar buzz of the Great Hall died as the doors swung inwards and a parade of first years timidly made their way across the room. Several had their mouths open in wonder as their heads turned back and forth, trying to take it all in. Andromeda spotted Sirius, unlike the others he had a confident smile on his handsome face as he laughed with another boy.

'Would anyone like to make any bets on who will be the future Slytherins?' Lucius asked taking out a few coins from his pocket. Narcissa giggled and gazed up at him adoringly, as though gambling was not heavily frowned upon by their mother.

_Do not be wasteful with gold, such stupidity is reserved for mudbloods and muggles alike._

Andromeda quietly wondered how long her mother's words would follow her for, how long does it take to unlearn a lifetime of lessons?  

'My cousin, Sirius, will be joining us this year,' Narcissa told Lucius proudly as other boys began pulling gold from their pockets, eager to show off their family’s wealth.

'Five galleons on Sirius Black,' Lucius put the coins on the table. It was a safe bet, and everyone knew it. 'Is anyone going to argue that?' he challenged.

'Might as well, don't have anything to lose,' Claude Greengrass chimed in with a shrug, adding his coins to the pile. 'I bet five galleons that he won't be a Slytherin.'

Narcissa frowned at him as Lucius counted the coins. Professor McGonagall opened her scroll, and everyone fell silent.

'Andrews, Amelia,' became the first Ravenclaw.

'Baribas, Kelvin,' was the first Hufflepuff. Andromeda watched as Ted thumped the small boy on the back with a large grin.

'Black, Sirius,' McGonagall called.

Andromeda did not for a moment consider the chances of her cousin not joining Slytherin as she watched Sirius saunter up to the hat and let it fall over his eyes. In fact, she was briefly surprised when it did not immediately exclaim Slytherin as it had with herself and her sisters. In fact it stayed perched on Sirius’s head for one long minute, and in the corner of her eye she could see Narcissa’s bored look turn sour.

The brim on the hat ripped open.

'Gryffindor!'

For one moment the whole Great Hall seemed to have been shocked into silence. Narcissa's mouth dropped open in a very unladylike manner, whilst Lucius at her side flushed angrily and pulled his arm away. A polite applause broke out as Sirius jumped from the seat and passed the hat to a very stunned McGonagall. A smile stretched across his face as he high fived another first year before taking a seat. Andromeda caught a glimpse of the boy her cousin seemed to be becoming fast friends with, and she nearly choked out a laugh herself as she recognised him to be a blood-traitor Potter. Meanwhile, Claude Greengrass swiped the money off the table and shoved it into his pocket. Lucius glowered at him and an embarrassed and hurt Narcissa stared sulkily down at the table.

Andromeda turned away and let out a small, rebellious smile. She felt strangely proud of her younger cousin, proud that he had the courage to be his own person, proud that he could turn away from his family’s mission. She stole a last look at Sirius and, on the inside, was silently thrilled that she wasn't the only white sheep on the Black family tree.


End file.
